I normally play a Tank. But started a Battle Mage that has now gone almost completely Mage. I have enchanted jewlery using Black Soul Stones to increase my magica 24 each, I am a level 7 with 222 Magica, I could embue one more ring, with 24 Magica, and am currently wearing Assassin leathers which I really like due to the increase in sneak. Any tips from those who play Mages on how I can raise my magica faster ??

Use skills that have Intelligence as governing attribute and make sure to always get a +5

Thank you ! I have been using Detect Life and Conjuration alot while running caves and that would explain why the high magica number this last time I leveled. Pays to ask !!

Don't ignore the Willpower. Your spellcasting depends on your current magicka, not your max, so having your full magicka back fast just is as important. Since regeneration is a percentage of your total in a given time, the time to recover a specific amount will increase with Intelligence a bit, but the willpower level increases that percentage much faster.

An example. If you can cast a spell that requires 100 points, then 200 magicka gets you two casts before you have to wait for it to refill. With zero regen (Atronach) that would be two casts total, until you can absorb some. With a regen rate of 5 percent (10 points in this case) per second, you can cast every ten seconds. The sweet spot is where you regenerate the magicka just in time for the next cast, and can keep it going for ever.

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Willpower#Intelligence_vs_Willpower for the trade-offs.

I add to Intelligence and willpower everytime. The 3rd choice is commonly sneak, but with the occasional Endurance. My basic is Destruction and Conjuration. I am Playing a Dark Elf.

Yeah, INT, WIL and END are the 3 stats you should be focusing on as a Mage. In that order.

I would really like to thank yall for taking your time to give me pointers !! Now if I may ask, why Endurance ? I know it helps with health, as well as the sword I carry. But is there another reason ?

Endurance is just the most important attribute in general. Any type of character will benefit from extra health.

I always did this too.

K- then I will start adding to Endurance more often then I have been. Thank you !

If you decide to do the MQ, if you enter an Oblivion Gate at level 17 or higher, you will receive the best sigil stone effects in the game. The sigil stone that is given to you is random, some of my characters (read: mages) save before taking it, so we can reload if we get a crappy one, like fortify heavy armor, which is useless to my mage. We look for the Fortify Magicka 50 sigil stones. These are better than the Fortify Intelligence stones, as magicka = intelligence x 2, so really the best fortify int stone will give you 24 Magicka. I take the fortify magicka stones, in addition to perhaps Soul Absorption 15 points stones, and enchant them on my street clothes, as my mages prefer to have 100% spell effectiveness, though my current mage who is NOT doing the MQ is still wearing his Conjurer robes awarded from the Arcane University, read= kinda lame robe bonuses, though he has major power, approaching 500 Magicka, all legit in the game.

The other sigil stones are a whole nother thread. So as your character progesses through the mages' guild and you start to make your own spells, you can achieve some high effect things at a later level.

Where did you get so many dark soul gems so soon? Just curious.

A very easy way to increase INT is alchemy. Given its value from a number of aspects in the game--extra cash, extra spells in battle, useful spells out of it--I'd suggest pumping that for all the INT you need per level.

I bought grand soul gems and went to the fisure at midnight and trtansformed them with a soul trap. I also lay in wait and kill the necro that comes out after he has used his soul trap on the alter and take his as well. Just fast foreward to 12am, the light shines down purple on the alter every seventh night. So I fast foreward 24 hrs until I see it and transform my gems. If ya don't kill all the Necros in the cave, they will come out on occassion and you can score thiers as well.